Piano-truck



(No Model.) .2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. MILLER & T. A. WHEELER;

PIANO TRUCK.

Patented Sept. 18, 1888.

ATTORNEYS.

jl l [1| WITNESSES:

N. PETERS. PhoroLnm m h-r. wamm mn. 0.0.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

L. MILLER 8v T. A. WHEELER.

' PIANO TRUGK. No. 389,711. Patented Sept. 18, 1888.

E. lh7////////////m 3 4 WITNESSES: QNVENTLIR:

,M fl

m ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS MILLER AND THOMAS ALBERT WHEELER, OF GREENVILLE, OHIO.

Pl ANO-TRUCK.

$PECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,713,, datedSeptember 18, 1888.

Application filed January 20, 1888. Serial No. 261,366. (No model.)

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known. that we,"LOUIs MILLER and THOMAS ALBERT WHEELER, both ofGreenville, in the county of Darke and State of Ohio, have invented anew and ImprovedUpright- Piano Truck, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a truck or movable scaffold for supporting andmoving upright pianos, and has for its object to facilitate the movingof an upright piano on andwofi of a wagon and over steps or a flight ofstairs.

The invention consists in a movable structure for this purpose,constructed and arranged as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention, illustrating its position whenin use. Fig. 2 is a front view of a part of the device detached. Fig. 3is a plan view of another part of the dc vice detached. Fig. 4. is asect-ion taken on the line a: m in Fig. 3 of the truck partly brokenaway and with parts folded up. Fig;

5 is an end view with the horizontal part of the truck in section online 3} y, Fig. l, and the vertical part broken away; and Figs. 6, 7,and 8 are respectively side, vertical sectional, and perspective viewsof details of the device.

Owing to the peculiar shape of upright pianos and the preponderance ofweight in the back, they are very difficult to be moved onto a dray orup a flight of stairs. To facilitate handling this unwieldy kind ofpianos, the truck herein described has been devised.

The truck or movable scaffold consists of a frame-work formed in twoparts, 1 and 2, the former serving. as the base-support for the pianoand the latter as the support for the end.

The part1 is constructed with horizontal bars 3, connected together bybase-pieces 4, secured thereto, and is provided with metallic rollers 5,having their axle-rod 6 mounted in said bars 3. The base'pieces 4 havesecured-thereto blocks7 and 8, having slots 9 open atone end to receiveand permit the casters of a piano to rest therein. The blocks 7 and 8are provided with blocks 10 and cross-bar 11, padded, as at 12, whichserve to hold the base of the piano in position, the padding beari ngagainst the abutting polished parts of the piano. The crossbar 11 isfixed to blocks 8, and the blocks 10 are adjustable on the blocks 7 bymeans of 5 thumbscrews 13, mounted in projections 14 on the blocks 7. Bythis means the lower end or base of the piano is clamped and held inposition on part 1 of the truck. The base-support 1 is further providedwith a supporting-standard and brace-rod, as follows:

A standard, 15, preferably formed of an open frame-work for lightness,consists of vertical rods 16 and 17, horizontal base-rod 18, andcross-rod 19 at top, curved to allow room when the frame or standard 15is folded up, and having extensions 20, resting in perforations 21 inthe outside bars, 3, and serving as pivots for the frame 15. The centralbar, 3, is cut away at 22, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to permit thestandard 15 and a brace-rod, 23, to be folded up snugly beneath theframe 1.

The rod 23 is formed witha forked end, 24, which straddles the centralcross-bar, 3, and has a number of holes, 25, to receive an adjustablepin, 26, which passes through the forked end 24, and is adapted to slidein aslot, 27, in central bar, 3, to allow for the movement of the rod23. The other end of rod 23 is formed with a fork, 28, having a numberof holes,.29, to receive an adjustable pin, 30, and" is secured to thevertical rod17 by the pin 30, passing through one of the holes 29 andone of a series of holes 31 in the flattened portion 32 of the rod 17.It will be seen by the foregoing description that the rod 23 is adaptedto serve as a brace to standard 15, and that brace 23 and standard 15may be folded up beneath frame 1 when not in use.

The standard and brace-rod may be retained in folded position by anysuitable means. As shown, thestaudard is held byahook or catch, 33,pivoted to frame 1, and the brace-rod by its securing-pin 30, engaging aperforation or hole in a block, 34, on frame 1.

Part 2 or the piano end support consists of a frame formed of bars 35,connected by rods 36, similar to ladder-rounds. The frame 2 is alsoprovided with cross-bars 37, padded,as at 38; against which the end ofthe piano is adapted to rest, and with metallic wheels 39,

mounted on an axle-rod, 40, resting in bars 35.

The frame 2 may be detachably secured to frame 1 in any suitable way,and, as here shown, is fastened thereto by tenons 41, fitting in sockets42 in bars 3. The frame 2 is held in place on frame 1 by means of hookedrods 43, attached to bars 35 by screw-eyes 44 and engaging screw-eyes 45on bars 3, and by angular metallic clamps 46, attached to screweyes 47on bars 35, overlapping outside bars,3,.

and fastened by screws 48. By this means the upright frame 2 is firmlysecured to baseframe 1, and is adapted to support the end of a piano.

The use of the truck is as follows: The standard 15 and brace 23 beingfolded up, the piano is placed upon the frame 1, its casters resting ingrooves 9. The blocks 10 are then clamped against the base of the pianoby thumb-screws 13 to hold the piano steady. The frame 2 is then securedto frame 1. The truck holding the piano is then moved on its rollers 5until it is necessary to lift it. In the case of a flight of stairs theforward end of the base framel is raised and the truck moved forwarduntil the front rollers, 5, rest on a step. The rear end of the frame 1is then elevated and the standard 15 and brace 23 unfolded aud securedtogether. The truck supporting the piano will then be in an inclinedposition. By tilting the truck backward on the standard 15 similarly tothe position shown in Fig. 1 and moving it forward, the front rollers,5, are brought to another step and rest thereon, and the rear of framelis at the same time lifted and the frame moved forward until thestandard 15 is brought to and rests upon a higher step. This operationis repeated until the truck with its load is brought to the top of thestairs, when standard 15 and brace 23 are folded up and the truck ismoved forward on the rollers 5.

By means of the adjustment of brace-rod 23 the standard 15 can beadapted to steps in one staircase of different height from those inanother. The rods 36 in frame 2 serve as a means to take hold of andlift the forward part of the truck. In case a hallway is reached whereit is too narrow to turn the truck the truck may be tipped forward, sothat the piano rests upon the frame 2, and the latter is moved forwardon the rollers 39 and 5.

From the foregoing the manner of using the truck in lifting a piano ontoa dray will be apparent. In a wareroom or hall the frame 1 may be usedwithout frame 2 to move a piano more readily than on its casters. Bymeans of this device time and labor are saved,and pianos can be movedvery easily and with little danger of accident.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters latent, is

1. A piano-truck consisting of a base-frame mounted on rollers andhaving a detachable vertical frame at one end thereof, with rollers atits upper end and brace-rods connecting with base-frame, and slidingadjustable clamping-blocks at its other end, with means, substantiallyas described, for holding the clamping-blocks in adjusted position, andan adjustable supporting standard and brace pivoted in the bottom of thebase-frame and adapted to fold up within the same, substantially asdescribed.

2. A piano-truck consisting of frames 1 and 2, the base-frame 1 havingrollers 5, grooved blocks 8, and padded bar 11, grooved blocks 7,adjustable padded blocks 10, thumb-screws 13, folding standard 15, catch33, folding adjustablebrace-rod 23, and perforated block 34, andvertical end frame, 2, having tenons 41, engaging mortises 42 in frame1, and provided with rollers 39, hooked brace-rods 43, engagingscrew-eyes 45 on frame 1, and bent clamps 46, with holding-screws 48,substantially as described.

3. In a piano-truck as herein described, a base-frame, 1, consisting ofbars 3, having basepieces 4, blocks 7 and 8, with grooves 9, bar 11,with padding 12, blocks 10, with padding 12, projections 14-, withthumb-screws l3, and rollers 5, the central bar, 3, notched, as at 22,and slotted, as at 27, and having folding standard 15, with perforations32, brace-rod 23,with forked ends 24 and 28, having perforations andretaining-pins 26 and 30, pivoted catch 33, and perforated block 04, thesaid bars 3 having screw-eyes 45 and mortises 42, substantially asdescribed.

LOUIS MILLER. THOMAS ALBERT \VHEELER.

Witnesses:

C. R. LEFTNIOH, W. A. HARPER.

